Lem Motlow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
November 28, 1869
- Businessman
- politician
- Clara Reagor
- Ophelia Evans
Lem Motlow | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lemuel Motlow November 28, 1869 Moore County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1947 (aged 77) Lynchburg, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Spouses |
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| Children | 4 sons, including J. Reagor Motlow, and 1 daughter |
| Relatives | Jack Daniel (uncle) |
Lemuel Motlow (November 28, 1869 – September 1, 1947) was an American businessman, politician, landowner and Tennessee Walking Horse breeder. He was the owner of Jack Daniel's, and he served in the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate.
Motlow was born on November 28, 1869, in Moore County, Tennessee, near Lynchburg.[1] His father was Felix Motlow and his mother, Nettie Josephine Daniel. He had four brothers. His maternal uncle, Jack Daniel, was the eponymous founder of the whiskey manufacturer.[1]
Career
Motlow began his career by working for his uncle.[1] He inherited Jack Daniel's in 1907.[2] Due to Prohibition, he was unable to sell whiskey from 1920 onward.[2] As Lynchburg was a market town for mules at the time, Motlow sold harnesses instead.[2]
Motlow sued the Moore County court to be able to reopen his distillery after the end of Prohibition in 1933, but he was only able to do so in 1938.[1] To reduce the powers of the county court, Motlow decided to run for office. He was elected as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1933, and as a member of the Tennessee Senate in 1939.[3] By 1947, Jack Daniel's was the only whiskey distillery in Tennessee, then a dry state.[3][4]
Motlow owned thousands of acres in Moore County and Coffee County, where he bred Tennessee Walking Horses. His horses competed in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville.[1]